Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Red Onion and Bacon

There isn’t much that I love more than Brussels sprouts. Ok, that may be exaggerating, but only a little. These adorable little veggies have gotten quite the PR treatment in recent years, shooting from America’s most hated vegetable to veggie darling of the foodie community. I always knew that Brussels sprouts resembled baby cabbages, but it wasn’t until recently that I learned that they are actually related (I always figured it was a corn/baby corn type scenario). As part of the brassica family, Brussels sprouts are also kin to broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and turnip. “Ooooohhhh,” replied my husband when I read him the Wikipedia entry. You see, a light had just gone off: these are all his favorite foods.

If you have yet to succumb to the Brussels sprouts revolution, then I urge you to give them one last go with this recipe. Once again I’m standing on my roasting soapbox to tell you that the oven does magical things to these and every vegetable. Now, add some bacon and red onion in there and we’ve really upped the ante, even for so-called haters. I truly believe that if you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts then you just haven’t had them the right way. This way.

As a bonus, this is a naturally gluten free side dish. Those who are vegetarian and/or keep kosher can easily omit the bacon in this recipe. I’ve made it that way numerous times and it’s also delicious. For those living in Israel, Brussels sprouts can be hard to come by. The past few months they’ve been readily available frozen in 800 gram bags at most major supermarkets. Having never used frozen Brussels sprouts before, I was pleasantly surprised by their quality. Recently the Eden Teva in Be’er Sheva has had fresh Brussels sprouts available as well.

Roasting Brussels sprouts couldn't be easier, and brings out a wonderful nutty flavor while giving them a lovely, crispy texture. Throw bacon and red onion into the mix and you've got yourself one irresistible side.

Author: Katherine Martinelli

Recipe Type: Side

Yield: 6 as a side

Ingredients

1½ pounds Brussels sprouts, halved (and defrosted if frozen)

3 slices bacon, roughly chopped

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into thick slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Toss the Brussels sprouts, bacon, onion, and olive oil together and season with salt.

Lay flat on a baking sheet and roast, 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Shake pan halfway through to flip Brussels sprouts.

Notes

Gluten free
Can easily be made Parve and Vegetarian by omitting the bacon - it's still delicious!

75 thoughts on “Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Red Onion and Bacon”

I’m always trying new Brussels Sprouts recipe because I really love them. I will try this recipe for sure. I think I heard before that if the veggies became frozen when they are fresh, the quality of frozen veggies can be better than fresh (but older) ones. Have a great week!

When I was young I developed a hatred for brussels sprouts because they were always boiled and turned out mushy and grey. Now there are a plethora of beautiful recipes out there that have made me grow to love them. I think this recipe is going to get a work out in my house!

I must be unusual because I have always loved Brussel Sprouts and that was when the only way to cook them was to boil or steam them. They are so much more delicious these days when they’re cooked the way you’ve cooked them. I think they’re a great vegetable xx

I could seriously eat brussels sprouts all day long! Especially when they have bacon in them! Roasted is my absolute fav – simple and delicious. When my boyfriend first had them about 6 years ago he called them shrunken lettuce heads lol! Yummy recipe!!

I just hopped on the roasted brussels sprouts band wagon recently and cannot stop eating them. Seriously. I think my hubs is a little sick of them…but me? Never! Great recipe with the onions and bacon!

OMG!!! Me too….brussels sprouts are my all time favorite vegetable! I always laugh when people look mortified by this statement but it is true. They are delish and good for you too! This recipe looks absolutely fabulous and will be part of dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing!

Brussels sprouts get such a bad rap because there’s a whole generation of parents who cooked them by boiling them until limp. Which is a serious disservice to any vegetable. Or any other kind of food, really. If they’d been cooking bacon like brussels sprouts, America would hate bacon.

Love brussel sprouts – especially with bacon! We made some great brussel sprouts the other day that used little cubes of pecorino which gave it a great flavor, that would probably be great with some bacon added in like this!

Roasting may be the best way to cook most veggies. And Brussels sprouts are particularly nice – in fact I often make them with bacon! You can do the same recipe by pan-roasting, but that’s more trouble because you have to stir things more often (and sometimes the sprouts lose their outer leaves). Roasting is definitely the way to go – good recipe.

This looks fantastic. I made caramelized brussels sprouts with our dinner tonight. I’m already wishing I had more in the house to cook tomorrow. From not liking them as a child, to truly looking them now. Your recipe here is one of my favorite methods.

I loved brussels when I was little… Then I found a critter inside one 🙁 Didnt eat one for years!! I braved it & tried them again about 10 years ago & have loved them ever since!! Thanku for the recipe!

Great question Tommie! I have never found that to be the case – it’s a small amount of bacon for all those Brussels sprouts and the fat nicely coats them and gives them good flavor without making them oily or even remotely greasy (but it could depend on how fatty the bacon is?). Hope you enjoy!

I was looking for an easy recipe for making Brussel sprouts that only called for 1 or 2 steps and one that I did not have to pamper or fuss over after work… I found it! This recipe was simple and tasty! After tossing into the oven, in this world of multitasking, I was able to empty the dishwasher and fold laundry….My family LOVED it. Thank you for sharing.

thanks so much for your reply! i felt pretty sure that was the case, so i added it in uncooked. they turned out great. my husband loved them! i used frozen {thawed & tried to dry them well} and they were a little too mushy for me. i know i would like them if they had been fresh. i will try again with fresh ones. great recipe, thanks!

Glad your husband enjoyed them! Yes, sometimes the frozen Brussels sprouts turn out a little mushy – as much as you dry them they’re just a little waterlogged. They’re good enough if fresh isn’t available, but fresh is always best! 🙂

Was searching for an oven roasted version that didn’t require work on the stove top first. Put it into google and yours came up first. We tried it and add mushrooms. We roasted it at 425 because that’s where the oven already was, for 25 minutes. These were AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!! My husband and I have NEVER had brussel sprouts and this was the first recipe we ever tried! They were AMAZING!! We are already planning our next meal with brussel sprouts and are looking into adding more veggies!!! Thanks so much for the great recipe! Will be looking at your blog for other delicious recipes!!